NASA’s upcoming Artemis II mission is more than just a technological milestone. It’s a signal to our allies, competitors, our industry, and future generations.

Artemis II will see four astronauts orbit the moon and return. This is the first manned mission beyond low Earth orbit since 1972 and is a game changer.

This mission is a step toward making space not just a temporary theater of exploration, but a permanent area of ​​human activity beyond low-Earth orbit. It brings issues of governance, cooperation and productivity to the forefront, while also raising the challenge of conflict and geopolitical conflict.

Space reflects the politics of great powers and is even more complex today. This mission is to return humanity to the space between Earth and the Moon, at the very moment the universe begins. In transition Already a strategic territory and a testing ground for international norms, it is now aiming to transition into a full-fledged economic realm.

Artemis II is important because it furthers this trend.

What NASA has completed is roll out The Space Launch System rocket arrived at the launch pad on January 17th. The rocket is 98 meters tall, taller than the Statue of Liberty. With launch as early as February 6, the mission’s crew will begin a journey farther from Earth than any human has ever gone before.

Launch costs collapsed. Spacecraft, once a government monopoly, are now manufactured, launched, and operated by private companies. Soon they will be operating space stations in low Earth orbit. Billions of dollars of investment are available in orbital services, lunar logistics, and space-derived data.

The Moon stands to become more than just a destination, but part of the human economy. artemis campaign With its third launch, it aims to establish the first long-term stay on the lunar surface. Artemis IIIaiming to be the first to put boots on the moon since 1972.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told CNBC. said The Artemis campaign will help “unlock the orbital economy,” and NASA will aim to create a permanent presence, not just build a lunar base.

This change has significant implications for diplomacy. Long-term existence without commercialization and governance guarantees instability. So Artemis II represents something even deeper than exploration: it’s the next step. many Dubbed Space Race 2.0, it stands to influence how rules and norms are applied beyond Earth.

We see this happening in parallel with the NASA-led program. artemis accord. The agreement, which currently has 60 international signatories, aims to establish common principles to strengthen the governance of private exploration and space use.

Artemis is not a U.S.-only effort. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen is a member of the Artemis II crew. Including partners in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region Australiacontributing hardware, science, and political support. This collaboration is important. In space, just as on Earth, legitimacy comes from participation.

At the same time, China’s moon ambitions are becoming reality and accelerating. Milestones such as success sample return The force will be shown from the far side of the moon.

China’s moon ambitions are in the open broadcast From launching its first astronauts at the end of the century to maintaining and occupying its own space station, China’s continued success say China has a good chance of winning the Artemis campaign to return humans to the moon.

China and Russia are leading the alternative campaignInternational Lunar Research Station, Comprehensive Lunar Base on the Moon Antarctic.

said U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, whose committee approved Isaacman’s appointment as NASA administrator. frankly: “An extreme shift in priorities will almost certainly mean a red moon that cedes ground to China for generations to come.”

The future of space will be shaped not only by who gets there first, but also by what technological, legal, and economic systems become the default.

Artemis II is at a tipping point. We are in awe of its technological advances, but success depends as much on results as it does on election cycles and more as proof points on whether democracies can coordinate exploration, industry, and diplomacy over decades. Maintaining a continued presence requires ongoing effort.

A generational shift is also underway. Artemis II marks the arrival of the Artemis generation of engineers, diplomats, entrepreneurs, and policy makers for whom space is not a distant dream but an occupational reality. They will inherit the decisions we are currently making around access, governance, and inclusion. We owe them more than a symbol..

The mission is estimated to last 10 days. Its effects will be felt for decades.

The questions, already being debated and likely to grow, center on how rapidly this new space age will evolve and who will lead its development. Artemis II will further entrench space into our economic systems and strategic thinking, not in the distant future but now.